Empire of Silence

Leans a bit more fantasy than I usually read, but I found the characters more enjoyable than Dune or Red Rising since he actually makes mistakes, has regrets, learns lessons and shows growth. While a bit too long, I felt it gradually cranked up the excitement and increasingly showed signs of a larger universe before really finishing off well. From what I've heard, I'll unquestionably be sticking it through at least book 2 before making final judgements, but overall very good.